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Fly-tipping costs builder more than £1,400

Date Added: 07/10/2015

A builder has been ordered to pay more than £1,400 after admitting fly-tipping waste on a business park in Sandy.
Christopher Hurwood, of East Road, Sandy, appeared at Bedford Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday where he was fined £650, ordered to pay full costs of £696.02 and a victim surcharge of £65.

The 31-year-old admitted dumping a two-tonne bag of sand, an old carpet, a scaffolding plank, some broken pallet and some building material/cement mix at Sand Lane Business Park, in Sand Lane, on 14 June 2014.

CCTV cameras at the site recorded a Ford Transit tipper van laden with the rubbish arriving at the site at 8.37am and leaving three minutes later without the waste.

Central Bedfordshire Council’s Environmental Protection officers launched an investigation after being passed details of the fly-tipping and the van’s registration number.

Despite the van not being registered to anyone on the DVLA’s database, enquiries eventually led to Hurwood.

After denying any involvement in the fly-tipping when contacted by phone and failing to attend two interviews, Hurwood did eventually attend an interview in February 2015 after being told that his case would be referred for prosecution.

Hurwood admitted that he had fly-tipped the waste, which was from a private job, but gave no reason why he had done so. He also admitted owning the van at the time of the incident but said that he had sold it soon afterwards.

Councillor Richard Wenham, Executive Member for Corporate Resources, said: “This case is a great result for the council’s Environmental Protection and Legal teams who worked doggedly to ensure that Hurwood was brought to justice.

“We have a zero-tolerance attitude toward fly-tipping in Central Bedfordshire. Failure to properly dispose of commercial or domestic waste is simply not acceptable and we will prosecute offenders.

"Fly-tipping is a deliberate and thoughtless act that is both unsightly and dangerous. In some cases this can cause serious damage to the environment as waste may contain harmful materials.”

Anyone who spots any incidences of fly-tipping should call 0300 300 8302 or email [email protected]